Strolling through the Brooklyn Museum’s momentous “Giants” exhibit starring pieces from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys, one initially feels dwarfed surveying the grandiose Gordon Parks photographs, monumental Derrick Adams collages, and the largest-ever Meleko Mokgosi installation. Yet in curating and showcasing these phenomenal works from Black visual artists both lionized and newly ascending, luminaries Beatz and Keys offer an inimitable experience for art lovers, collectors, and historians alike.

By juxtaposing revered greats like Jean-Michel Basquiat beside today’s emerging creators like Jarvis Boyland, “Giants” challenges us to expand perceptions of artistic excellence beyond predictable spheres. Just as the exhibit courageously inaugurated during Black History Month, it calls out how categorizing creative genius as exclusively white and male fails to capture brilliance equally taking varied forms.

The Deans relate intimately to that struggle firsthand as multifaceted culture shapers themselves, often hemmed into musician-only lanes despite their extensive artistic output transcending stages. Thus in philanthropically uplifting fellow marginalized artists through patronage and platforms, the couple leads by example in forging equity. Basquiat famously graffitied words like “royalty” and “hero” on his own works, attempting to manifest the respect history denied. Today the Deans help cement that legacy by spotlighting not just Basquiat but ARRAY alumni like innovative filmmaker Arthur Jafa and mixed-media magician Nina Chanel Abney too.

The show’s thoughtful vignettes contextualizing each creator also demonstrate how artistic excellence shouldn’t be assessed individually but instead through a community lift-up approach the Deans have long embraced. Much like musical movements harmonize around shared resonance, the couple recognizes aesthetic genius often reverberates in cultural exchanges versus vacuum-sealed silos. We see that creative lineage cemented in their collection spanning eras and genres with interwoven social narratives.

And by echoing their home’s original salon-style display alongside commentary-sparking conversation pits, “Giants” succeeds in making fine art feel accessible too. Swizz and Alicia dismantle institutional assumptions of who engages with so-called elite works by inviting authentic co-viewing. Ultimatums between scholarly and entertaining dissolve as Living Room-esque seating beckons us to stay awhile with these cultural treasures.

By celebrating Black artists as revolutionary and revered in one large exhibit daring you to linger, “Giants” makes one thing clear — with space made for our voices, living legends can take many forms.

“Giants” is open to the public at the Brooklyn Museum now through July 7, 2024.